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ECU researching perceptions of the Social Work profession across Australia

Friday, 18 February 2011

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ECU is working to understand the role of social workers in today's society

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A social worker’s job is extremely diverse, with many different roles and varied responsibilities. ECU is conducting a research project in conjunction with the Australian Association of Social Workers to develop a clearer picture of the role of social workers in today’s society, seen through their eyes and the eyes of the community.

The project, which began earlier this year, aims to determine what social work means to those involved in the profession, removing the ambiguous nature and providing a clearer and more concrete image for the community.

A collaborative idea between ECU Social Work Program Coordinator, Ms Lynelle Watts, Creative Industries student Amy Hosking and the ECU Corporate Marketing team, researchers first surveyed social workers across the state to get a generic overview of how they see themselves, and then used the most popular sentiments to develop key statements about the profession.

These statements were then put on posters which can be ordered by social workers, with data then gathered to see which posters were the most well received.

These posters will be compared with two posters produced by ECU’s marketing team, which are also available to order and present generic statements about social work from those outside the profession.

“By analysing the most popular posters, we can begin to understand social work through the eyes of those who are involved, and also use the data to develop clearer marketing campaigns for the future,” said ECU Student Recruitment Manager, Ms Nathalie Collins.

The posters, which are available from the ECU website, will help promote International Social Work Day, on Sunday, 27 March 2011, with the data from the program to be collaborated and analysed by the end of April.